Old age pension and living/working abroad

Yep, you are so right. So glad to hear the issue is being looked into again. I'm going to have a look at the link you provided when I get home end of October, I'm in Yokohama right now and don't get a lot of PC time. Thanks for that!

You have presented many good reasons why so many retirees from the rest of Canada end up in Victoria... its' as good as it gets weatherwise, for Canada... mind you, NOT today.

Oh crap canayjun, is the weather getting bad? Rats!! We're still basking in the mid 20s here, although the humidity is still too heavy to be totally comfortable. I didn't bring any cold weather clothes with me, not even any warmish ones, so I guess I'm going to be very sorry about that when I come back in a few days. Talk about forward planning - NOT.

It's ok, wats, don't panic... sun is out again! At least on the island it's sunny. but who knows what it will be in another ten mintues? it's been like that lately.

LOL and GRR! I just looked at the forecast on my iPod and it says it's going to be about 8C in Vancouver on Saturday. I will freeze!! I really NEED to move back to the island :-)

"You have presented many good reasons why so many retirees from the rest of Canada end up in Victoria... its' as good as it gets weatherwise, for Canada... mind you, NOT today."

Umm, on what basis do you make that statement? I for one certainly don't consider Victoria or anywhere on Vancouver Island to be 'as good as it gets weatherwise' and certainly don't consider it a good area to retire to for other Canadians.

Someone could make the same statement about a lot of places in Canada. If you like snow and fall colour, Vancouver island is not your best bet. If you dislike rain you best avoid a lot of Vancouver Island and all the west coast of BC including Vancouver. On the other hand if you are a Brit expat then Victoria or even Vancouver may make you feel right at home.

Vancouverites have long been known for their ridiculous claim to being the best place in Canada for weather. 'The mildest weather in Canada'. A yearly average temperature is meaningless. They ignore the rain of which they are the 5th highest city in Canada as if that had no bearing on 'as good as it gets weatherwise.' I hope you ae not going to start suggesting the same in regard to Victoria canayjun. It and it's weather suit SOME people. Nothing makes it 'as good as it gets weatherwise.' That depends on what weather an individual prefers.

As for retirement, it's an island with all that entails in regards to the cost of getting off the damn thing to go anywhere in world. That's a negative. It's in BC which means higher cost of goverment services (were you not aware of that little fact?) such as medical care and car insurance. Real estate prices are better (lower) in many parts of Canada which means a retiree downsizing gets more bang for their buck.

No Canayjun, I have not presented 'many good reasons why so many retirees from the rest of Canada end up in Victoria. In fact, I've presented none.

Whew... what a relief. Thank you so much for assuring me (and other islanders) that we don't have to worry about seeing you out here, lefty or whoever you are these days. By the way... we have just had 4 or 5 months with no rain at all. It is a relief to see some rain. The parched trees and lawns are grateful as well.

Almost everywhere had a drought this year canayjun. There's nothing unique about that. The fact is the west coast of BC is the wettest climate by far in Canada. Victoria does get a good amount of sunshine but it is not the only place that does.

No you don't have to worry about my moving out there. I'm not that stupid. There are far better places to retire to in Canada if you look for them. List 10 criteria you would use to pick a retirement spot and I will happily provide you a few examples of places that fit. Vancouver island will not be one of them regardless of what criteria you list.

Choosing where to retire is all about pros and cons. While Victoria has some pros, the cons outweigh them. But then, not everyone is smart enough to figure that out.

It's worse that that 'travelinginstyle'.
Being out of the country for more than six months on the application suddenly requires you to list every address you have ever stayed at in Canada and provide PROOF.
If you've lived a life of poverty for a long time, it means having lived in rooming houses. Who would save rooming house receipts from the 1960's?
Or even average income people - how could they prove where they lived for 30-to 40 years?l
..
So how did you get around this? Did they deny you?

Edited by: jambalya

Edited by: jambalya

Yes, it reads that way on the application jambalya but in fact they don't expect you to list every address and account for every day of your life. You provide what information you can and list what time you were out of Canada. ie. I lived in Scotland from Aug. 1999 to April 2003. Address.
I emigrated to Canada in 1953 and lived in Canada until 1996. Last couple of addresses provided.

They asked me for proof of when I left Canada in 1996. Obviously, I did not have the boarding pass. I got a letter saying they needed proof that I had left then. I wrote back and said I did not have proof but obviously I was voluntarily telling them I had. If I could not provide proof that I had left, then I supposed they would have to presume that I was lying and never left. I got my pension.

Funny asking you to prove you left since the only alternative would be as I said, that you never did. In fact, I could have just not told them I had left and I doubt they would have ever been any the wiser. I said this to a person in the office and she just said, 'well that would be lying and we might find out.' Squirming in her chair as she said so.